I Shall Not Want

     

Tucson Weather Today

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The following is intended to he a beginning and the ending of an attempt at writing a story of fiction -- a  segment from a tentatively recalled tale of easy human lies and one man's attempts at discovering and revealing the simple truths attendant upon his life choices.

An Improbable  Account

Until I enlisted in the military at the age of eighteen I lived in various stages of poverty and did not realize it. Before I became a teenager and could earn my own money, I was a typical ragamuffin, although I did not know that ragamuffin was a noun meaning: a person, typically a child, in ragged, dirty clothes. And I did not know that I was considered by the average observer (my schoolteacher, pastor, and most of my classmates) to be an unfortunate urchin, a waif, a guttersnipe... you know, a street kid.

I have witnessed a great many varied and relatively minor incidents interspersed among the inconsequential years of a less than inspiring lifetime.

Below are some of them:

. . .

. . .

. . .

Now, in my old age, I find it curious and passing strange to realize that during the earliest period of my life while my parents were alive they never wanted to touch me.

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Did You Know . . .?

If you add up all the numbers from 1 to 100 consecutively (1 + 2 + 3...) it totals 5050.

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HISTORICAL EVENT

On this day in 1793 Thomas Paine was arrested in France for treason. Though the charges against him were never detailed, he had been tried in absentia on December 26 and convicted. Before moving to France, Paine was an instrumental figure in the American Revolution as the author of Common Sense, writings used by George Washington to inspire the American troops. Paine moved to Paris to become involved with the French Revolution, but the chaotic political climate turned against him, and he was arrested and jailed for crimes against the country.

Paine's imprisonment in France caused a general uproar in America and future President James Monroe used all of his diplomatic connections to get Paine released in November 1794. Ironically, it wasn't long before Paine came to be despised in the United States, as well. After The Age of Reason was published, he was called anti-Christ and his reputation was ruined. Thomas Paine died a poor man in 1809 in New York.

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WORD FOR TODAY

poverty
noun
1.  the state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support.
2.  deficiency of necessary or desirable ingredients, qualities, etc.: poverty of the soil.

Poverty is scarcity, dearth, or the state of one who lacks a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution refers to the deprivation of basic human needs, which commonly includes food, water, sanitation, clothing, shelter, health care and education. Relative poverty is defined contextually as economic inequality in the location or society in which people live.
--Wikipedia

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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

Denzel Hayes Washington, Jr.

(born December 28, 1954)

Denzel Washington is an American actor, film director, and film producer. He has received much critical acclaim for his work in film since the 1990s, including for his portrayals of real-life figures such as Steve Biko, Malcolm X, Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, Melvin B. Tolson, Frank Lucas, and Herman Boone. Washington is a featured actor in the films produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and was a frequent collaborator of the late director Tony Scott.

Washington has received two Golden Globe awards and a Tony Award, and two Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor for Glory (1989) and Best Actor for Training Day (2001).

Nichelle Nichols

(born December 28, 1932)

Nichelle Nichols is an American actress, singer and voice artist. She sang with Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton before turning to acting. Nichols' most famous role is that of communications officer Lieutenant Uhura aboard the USS Enterprise in the popular Star Trek television series (1966-1969), as well as the succeeding motion pictures, where her character was eventually promoted in Starfleet to the rank of commander. Her Star Trek character was groundbreaking in U.S society at the time, and civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. personally praised her work on the show and asked her to remain when she was considering leaving the series.

Stan Lee

(born December 28, 1922)

Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, media producer, television host, actor, voice actor and former president and chairman of Marvel Comics.

In collaboration with several artists, most notably Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, he co-created Spider-Man, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Thor, and many other fictional characters, introducing complex, naturalistic characters and a thoroughly shared universe into superhero comic books. Lee subsequently led the expansion of Marvel Comics from a small division of a publishing house to a large multimedia corporation.

Noomi Rapace

(born December 28, 1979)

Noomi Rapace is a Swedish actress. She achieved international fame with her portrayal of Lisbeth Salander in the Swedish/Danish film adaptations of the Millennium series: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest. She is also known for playing Leena in Beyond (2010), Anna in The Monitor (2011), Madame Simza Heron in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011), the lead role of Dr. Elizabeth Shaw in the Ridley Scott science fiction film Prometheus (2012), and Beatrice in Dead Man Down (2013).

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He is now rising from affluence to poverty.
--Mark Twain

NASA TV

This Is Who I Am

   

The Rich Get Richer And . . .

Tucson Weather Today

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The divide between the HAVEs and the HAVE NOTs is said to be ever widening. There are wealthy citizens of several nations who have personal fortunes of millions and even billions of dollars. And there are many, many more people who live in almost unbelievable poverty with no hope of ever escaping it.

For the mos part, the rich posses power along with their great wealth, and they know how to use it and to hold onto it.

For the most part, the poor possess no power and little or no money, and would neither know how to use money and the power if they did obtain them, nor how to hold onto either of them. The Earth's total wealth will not be equitably redistributed.

The poor cannot do so, and the rich will not.

That's how things are and will continue to be.

Unless some unforeseen event should occur.

(extraterrestrial alien invasion, international biological pandemic, thermo-nuclear war, or sudden ultra-severe global warming)

Or an unlikely miracle happens and some GOD appears to set things aright.

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All the disingenuousness and downright lies in the form of misleading sound bites from bloated political speeches emanating from the candidates running for office in the upcoming election will change absolutely nothing for the better.

*Copied from Anthony Dauer, on Facebook

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WORD FOR TODAY


redistribute
verb
allocate, distribute, or apportion anew

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 BORN ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

 Annette Funicello

  Born Oct 22, 1942

Age: 70 years old.

Annette Joanne Funicello is an American actress and singer. Beginning her professional career as a child performer at the age of twelve, Funicello rose to prominence as one of the most popular "Mouseketeers" on the original Mickey Mouse Club.

 As a teenager, she transitioned to a successful career as a singer with the pop singles "Tall Paul" and "Pineapple Princess", as well as newly establishing herself as a film actress, popularizing the successful "Beach Party" genre alongside co-star Frankie Avalon during the mid-1960s.

Personal Note:
 When I was a teenager back in the 1950s I was captivated by the young Mouseketeer known as Annette Funicello. In later years I would never miss any of her Beach Party movies. Remember the old song, Puppy Love?

Now, as a doddering old man, I am still mesmerized by the memories I have of Annette, and the fact that she, at 70, is still alive but caught in the clutches of Multiple Sclerosis.

There is a video, that when I first viewed it, struck me emotionally; it struck me HARD. I am a product of the mid-20th century, back when we were taught that "Men Don't Cry" -- but, when I watched the video, well ... well, that's enough about that.

LINK to video

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BORN ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY


Curly Howard

Birthday: October 22, 1903
Date of Death Jan 18, 1952

Jerome Lester "Jerry" Horwitz, better known by his stage name Curly Howard, was an American comedian and vaudevillian. He is best known as a member of the American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges, along with his older brothers Moe Howard and Shemp Howard, and actor Larry Fine.

Curly is generally considered the most popular and recognizable of the Stooges. He is well known for his high-pitched voice, vocal expressions ("nyuk-nyuk-nyuk!", "woo-woo-woo!", "soitenly!" and barking like a dog), as well as his physical comedy, improvisations, and athleticism.

Christopher Lloyd

Born Oct 22, 1938
Age: 73 years old

Christopher Allen Lloyd is an American actor. Among his best-known roles are Emmett "Doc" Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy, Uncle Fester in The Addams Family and its sequel Addams Family Values, and Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as Jim Ignatowski in the television series Taxi.

Jeff Goldblum

Born Oct 22, 1952
Age: 59 years old

Jeffrey Lynn "Jeff" Goldblum is an American actor. His career began in the mid-1970s and he has appeared in major box-office successes including The Fly, Jurassic Park and its sequel Jurassic Park: The Lost World, and Independence Day. He starred as Detective Zach Nichols for the eighth and ninth seasons of the USA Network's crime drama series Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

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. . . man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty, and all forms of human life.
--John F. Kennedy

Religion: Can Fantasy Become Reality?

Why is it, I wonder, that no single individual (or group of like-minded individuals) has successfully attempted to found a new church with no supernatural overtones (a modern-day organized religion without a ruling God) and being solely dedicated to providing free and effective 'help' to those in need? Or does such a church already exist?

I think not.

There is no reason, that I can see, why such a church could not be brought into being.

This organization could be called "The Church of Altruism" or some such label as that.

Altruism, according to Wikipedia is selfless concern for the welfare of others. Altruism is the opposite of selfishness.

How could a church based on altruism not be a good thing?

For such an undertaking to succeed, though, would certainly demand a radical change in our present day way of thinking about 'goodness' and 'morality.'

The primary tenet of this Church of Altruism would have to be the absolute separation of church and state, and the secondary tenet would be absolute non-profit.

These two tenets are more profound than they might appear at first glance.

The Church of Altruism would be funded solely by non-tax-exempt donations and all moneys collected would be strictly recorded and all government mandated taxes would be paid on the total without question. Good Grief! This Church of Altruism would be the ideal place for folks like John Travolta, Tom Cruise, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and myriad others of the philanthropic persuasion.

There should be no Poverty

There should be no slums

Will we ever be able to be greeted by:
"Welcome to the Church of Altruism"

Probably not...

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Religion is something left over from the infancy of our intelligence, it will fade away as we adopt reason and science as our guidelines.
--Bertrand Russell